Wildfire fighter Smokey the Bear doesn’t just put the bite on campers who are careless with flames, he collars accused criminals, too!
The iconic U.S. Forest Service mascot — who was created in 1944 to educate Americans about the importance of preventing wildfires — was on hand when lawmen cuffed suspect Hunter Lovett in Florida’s Orange County for allegedly pilfering Smokey Bear signs from state parks in Pensacola, Panama City and Orlando, per FOX 13 News.
According to authorities, the greedy guy swiped the wildfire warning markers and tried to sell the ill-gotten booty for $1,900 a pop on Facebook Marketplace.
“Smokey is always around our forest and just got lucky today that he saw the bad guy and got him handcuffed,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson while announcing the bust, per the outlet. “What an idiot, what an idiot.”
Simpson further said of the ursine hero, “[Smokey] goes to schools, he’s known by our children, he’s known by our families, he is known throughout the United States.”
“Who goes and steals an image of Smokey the Bear and then tries to profit off of that?”
Lovett was charged with felony grand larceny following his apprehension by deputies from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement — and faces possible jail time if convicted.
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